Co-constructing Organizational Sustainability Identities and Supply Chain Management Practices

In recent years, the interdisciplinary research of supply chains and sustainability has received extensive, yet gradual, attention; when compared to the rapid economic growth of the service industry, however, sustainable supply chain management has not been systematically explored yet. It has not only great theoretical significance, but also positive practical significance to provide a framework for the operation of a sustainable service supply chain from a sustainable development point of view. Based on the triple bottom line (TBL), we have analyzed related sustainable supply chain management research between 2006 and 2015, reviewed papers involving two or three bottom lines as well, and then introduced some classical frameworks for manufacturing supply chain management and service supply chain management. Afterward, by analyzing the differences between the manufacturing and service industries, we propose a framework of sustainable service supply chain management (SSSCM). Based on the impacts of sustainable development TBL on service supply chain participants, we have finally made a framework for sustainable operation facing triads service supply chain and proposed a future research agenda.

Purpose: The aim of this research paper is to significantly contribute to empirical research on the impact of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices on sustainable performances of firms, with the moderating effect of process innovation (PI), in the manufacturing sector in Pakistan. This paper also theorizes comprehensive SSCM practices and sustainable performance models of firms and evaluates them empirically. Two aspects of SSCM experiences have been integrated into the model: internal management and external management practices of a firm’s sustainability impact assessment. Research methodology: Using the data from 297 manufacturing firms in Pakistan, this research paper analyzes the influence of sustainable supply chain management practices on sustainable performances of firms with the moderation of process innovation in the said relationship. In this study, we used partial least-squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. Results: The findings demonstrate that both internal management and external management SSCM practices have a positive and significant impact on a firm’s sustainable performance, thus supporting hypotheses (H1–H4). Moreover, process innovation as a moderator has a statistically significant relationship between hypotheses H5 and H5c. Originality: For Pakistani firms, comprehensive performance models of SSCM practices are proposed and empirically evaluated. The results of this study help to support the hypotheses that internal and external SSCM practices are necessary for the service sector. Process innovation plays an important role if managed and implemented properly. A number of internal and external SSCM approaches and implications are recommended, along with firm size as a moderator.

Increasing awareness of the importance of ecological and social aspects of effects of business operations has led to a growing interest in sustainability. To this end, many firms are adopting supply chain management practices that are expected to foster sustainability along their supply chains. This research studies the effect of drivers on adoption of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices and impact of this adoption on the performance of a firm. Effect of size on the latter impact is also studied.

Environmental differentiation from a supply chain practice view perspective

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to identify key categories of Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and related practices that are required to fulfill the demands of sustainability and, therefore, contributing to sustainability performance. As part of this, the authors will identify different approaches in practice implementation in SSCM and supply chain management (SCM). SSCM has become a topic of great interest and is linked to the assumption that a more sustainable performance for businesses would be achieved on its implementation. Such performance has to be achieved with respect to all three dimensions of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is conceptual in nature. The authors draw from literature on SSCM and examine frameworks and critical accounts on the topic. This allows identifying key aspects of SSCM and pointing out differences and overlaps with SCM. Findings – The authors identify five key categories which are of high importance for the sustainable management of supply chains: orientation toward SCM and sustainability, continuity, collaboration, risk management and proactivity. In a second step, the authors describe distinctive practices which allow organizations to follow the goals formulated in the five key categories. Finally, they highlight issues preventing companies that follow a rather “conventional” approach to SCM to reach the level where it can be called SSCM, i.e. how to reach sustainability performance in SCM. Research limitations/implications – The work presented is conceptual in nature. It would be required to operationalize respective categories and, therefore, test them in empirical research. Practical implications – The categories and practices identified within the framework can be used for guiding managers toward the implementation of SSCM. This is the case when management takes performance implication into account without solely considering rather simplistic indicators. At the same time, differentiating a company based on the implementation of sustainability practices has become more difficult, due to the proliferation of sustainability in a wider field. Social implications – Social aspects are integrated into the framework on the same level as environmental and economic aspects, emphasizing the triple bottom line orientation. Originality/value – While all practices applied in SSCM have originally been identified and described by researchers for the case of “conventional” SCM, their particular interrelation and joint implementation makes up SSCM and ensures a contribution to sustainability performance.

Although significant research has been undertaken on sustainable and green supply chain management, the investigation of the roles of two important sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices - codes of conduct and human resource management practices - in improving a buyer's and a supplier's sustainability performance is almost absent in the sustainability literature. Using multiple theories and drawing from the literature on sustainability, corporate social responsibility, supply chain management, operations management, and human resource management, this study offers a research model and relevant propositions that show how the implementation of these practices can result in sustainability performance for both suppliers and buyers. The paper concludes with further research implications of the study.

A growing body of research emphasises sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in contrary with limited studies exploring role of information technology (IT) in sustainable supply chain activities. Moreover, little is known on SSCM implementation in niche industries like fashion/textile-apparel industry. As most studies concentrated on investigating IT impact on business performance and profitability in supply chain, integrating sustainable practice with IT is still scarce. The aim of this study is to identify current SSCM practices with the focus on IT role in supporting SSCM in fashion industry. For that purpose, this study applies the sustainable key practices framework discussed in the literature of SSCM and adopted previous study framework that differentiates four IT roles for sustainability. Using the proposed frameworks, interviews were conducted with five fashion practitioners that are currently engaged with SSCM practices. The findings from this study highlight the existence of SSCM practices in fashion industry. Finally, this finding enhances the current understanding of how IT can support SSCM practices and helps future research in exploring the IT implementation, challenges and benefit towards SSCM.

Next to the oil industry, the apparel industries are strongly criticized for their negative impact on the ecosystem. Due to the current global trend, manufacturing industries are expected to consider sustainability issues beyond conventional business goals. In this regard, the study investigates the Ethiopian apparel and textile manufacturing industries’ sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices. A descriptive research design methodology using a cross‐sectional survey was used. Data were collected through self‐administered questionnaires. A simple random sampling technique to decide sample size and a purposive sampling technique to select respondents were employed. A total of 71 participants provided a valid response. The metrics for the survey were developed from different literature, and structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The results demonstrated that the state of the implementation of SSCM practices by the fashion manufacturing industry in Ethiopia is still in its promising stages. The hypotheses test results showed that SSCM practices positively impact SSCM performance and competitiveness at p values of 0.05, except environmental practices with economic performance. The study provides additional insight into the growing field of literature that examines the relationships among SSCM practices, performance, and competitiveness. The findings offer insight for industrial policymakers to improve sustainability for global competitiveness. The Ethiopian government is making significant efforts to boost the manufacturing sector through the “Let Ethiopia Produce” campaign, and sustainability is among the significant necessities for the global competitiveness of the Ethiopian manufacturing industry.

The ready‐made garments (RMG) production industry in Bangladesh has achieved a major presence in the global fashion apparel supply chain particularly due to the competitive advantage (CA) primarily attributed to its' large pool of low cost labor. However, the competitiveness of this industry is under threat from other emerging economies that are rapidly becoming lower cost production sources. As a result the Bangladesh RMG sector is under pressure to find alternate sources of CA by introducing sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices along with improving the dynamic capabilities (DC) of the RMG manufacturers. However, the extant literature indicates that there is a dearth of sufficient empirical evidence on whether SSCM practices in combination with improvements in management and technological capabilities of such enterprises leads to gains in CA. In order to address the aforesaid gap, this study draws on the integration of the SSCM practices view and the DC view, to propose a set of relationships that posit that environmental, social, and economic sustainability measures of SSCM practices along with management and technological capabilities will have a significant influence on CA. The hypotheses are tested by applying structural equation modeling on a sample of 345 export‐oriented RMG manufacturers in Bangladesh. The findings indicate that influence of social sustainability, along with management and technological capabilities, on CA is positive and significant. While the relationship between environmental and economic sustainability and CA were not significant.

Development and validation of a scale for measuring Sustainable Supply Chain Management practices and performance

PurposeFirms employ various forms of disclosure to demonstrate commitment to and involvement in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices. This research provides guidance to firms employing framing strategies when communicating their SSCM with external stakeholders like consumers as part of their supply chain transparency efforts.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed a middle-range theorizing approach to understand the context of SSCM practices and mechanisms of variously framed communication methods to disclose sustainability information to consumers. The authors conducted two experiments in an e-waste recycling context, studying how sustainable information disclosed to consumers using attribute framing and goal framing can affect consumers' attitudes. The authors also examined the moderating role of consumers' environmental involvement.FindingsResults suggest that when attribute framing is used, firms should avoid framing the attribute from a negative valence. When goal framing is used, messages with consequences stated as “avoid loss” yield the most substantial effect. Additionally, framing effects are more significant for consumers with higher-than-average environmental involvement.Originality/valueThe authors’ results contribute to the ongoing theorization of SSCM by providing contextual understanding of how to communicate sustainability information. Corroborating evidence from marketing, framing effects are found to be context specific, thereby elucidating the framing literature more fully to the SSCM context. The authors extend this literature by studying attribute framing and comparing the effectiveness of all possible goal framing combinations of valence and gain/loss perspective in the SSCM communication context.

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationships between management, measurement and performance of sustainability in supply chains. The authors develop a framework which explores these links through decoupling as articulated by the institutional theory. They draw on a conceptual continuum of reactive-proactive sustainable supply chain practices and identify clusters of companies along these dimensions and evaluate the theoretical and managerial implications of this for sustainability performance.Design/methodology/approach– This study uses primary and secondary datasets from 12 inductive, multiple case studies across different industries. This method ensures that we are better able to encapsulate a broader and more diverse set of practices and settings which in turn adds robustness to the theory we induced from our findings.Findings– The authors find varying degrees of alignment between management practices and measurement systems of sustainable supply chains. Some firms better align their sustainable supply chain management and measurement practices than others, resulting in tighter coupling and ultimately improved sustainability performance in the supply chain.Research limitations/implications– Further research may explore the conditions under which firms decouple their practices and the contextual settings that are associated with decoupling, loosely and tightly coupled alignment. Additionally, the conceptual framework should be tested across countries, industries and different relationships between public and private organisations.Originality/value– This is one of the first empirical explorations of the decoupling theory and the reactive-proactive continuum in sustainable supply chain management.

Management of supply chains is critical in today's global business environment. Sustainability is among the most important factors in business activities and supply chain management. The integration of supply chain management with the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) has led to the emergence of sustainable supply chain management. Sustainable supply chain management is the management of supply chain operations, resources, information and funds to maximize social welfare and supply chain profitability while minimizing environmental impacts. Today, businesses are increasingly held responsible for the environmental, social and economic consequences resulting from their internal operations and the operations of their suppliers. Sustainable supply chain management is not just for businesses to survive; it also answers questions about what needs to be done to develop and succeed in the long term. This study focuses on establishing a broad theoretical framework on sustainable supply chain management. In addition, the study aims to help top management decisions in businesses by mentioning the sustainability strategies and practices of supply chain management, the advantages and challenges of sustainable supply chain management.

Sustainability is a timely topic. A sustainable supply chain is one which aims to maximize the system's performance in three dimensions, namely environment, economics, and society. In the fashion industry, with the advance of big data related information technologies, achieving a sustainable supply chain is no longer a dream. In this paper, we first establish that a fashion supply chain is in fact a typical system of systems. Then, we examine several critical big data related technologies and applications which are related to sustainable fashion supply chain management. After that, we develop and present the design principles, from a system of systems perspective, for developing a sustainable fashion supply chain. Based on these principles, we further propose a novel five steps framework for achieving sustainable fashion supply chain management in the big data era. A sustainable fashion supply chain system of systems matrix is also constructed.

Achieving business excellence through sustainable supply chain management